Energy Independence Giveaway

Homeowner – Winner

Alina and Cara – Lynn, MA

The sisters are in their early twenties and took over the “head of household” role their home in Lynn, Massachusetts. Alina currently is a dedicated camp counselor and helps younger girls with school work through lesson plans. Cara works hard in her Church and her community. Cara’s passion for helping others, teaching, and showing a silver lining for all things is part of the reason she became an ordained minister. Being an ordained minister also allows Cara to be in touch with her community. She enjoys community outreach, community service, and knowing the ins and outs of Lynn.

Nonprofit - Winner

Congregational Church of Topsfield - Topsfield, MA

The original portion of the building now provides space for the offices, meetings of the church’s many boards and working committees, and Sunday School rooms of the Congregational Church of Topsfield. The Emerson Center is used by community groups, including Boy and Girl Scouts, the Council on Aging, Alcoholics Anonymous, Needlecraft Guild, and garden clubs. It is one of three venues participating in the Grow Spring EXPO, a gathering of over eighty exhibitors and vendors from the agricultural, horticultural, conservation, and preservation communities. As a sponsor of the event, the Church celebrates the agricultural heritage of the Emerson Center property and promotes sustainability and the preservation of our resources. These fields preserve a significant parcel of open space. The location of the solar panels on the Emerson Center would demonstrate how to integrate solar panels into a significant structure in a way that does not detract from the historic character of the building.

The Congregational Church of Topsfield is committed to the stewardship of the environment. A series of energy efficiency projects have been accomplished, including energy efficient lighting, insulation, high-efficiency gas boilers and heat pumps recently installed in the classrooms. Initiatives to reduce waste, especially Styrofoam, have reduced trash. The large vegetable garden tended produces fresh produce throughout the growing season, which goes to the Produce for the Pantry project designed to provide fresh vegetables to the Topsfield food pantry, Topsfield’s senior citizens, and Haven from Hunger, a communal meal facility and food pantry. Having completed a host of carbon foot-print savings projects, the church is conducting a study for solar that would address the church’s electricity needs.